Can anyone recommend a cool pet to get

aliesneo

Hey people
can any of ye recommend a cool pet to get, maybe exotic?
i spend a lot of time in my place but go home and weekends so it has to be able to look after itself
any ideas?

Illkillya

get a chinchilla

Illkillya

ah I just noticed the bit about it being alone at weekends... if you cant get a small pet that you can take home with you then you probably shouldn't get a pet.. except for a cat maybe. Most pets can not take care of themselves (and they're social animals and would not like being alone for a long time), if you drive home then you could bring a small pet with you on weekends, but if not you could come back on Monday and find it dead or freaking out. At least with a cat you can leave the window open and plenty of food and water and it will be fine for a couple of days. I can't think of anything else though... maybe you can get a pair of birds, with one of those auto-feeders or something.

aliesneo

well i dont want a cat or anything stupid like that
i want something kool and exotic
or doesnt have to be exotic
just something small that i can keep in a cage
Not a lot of room for it too run around.

Illkillya

what about a rock?

koneko

aliesno,

Why do you want to get a pet if you're not going to be around for it?

Pets generally can't take care of themselves, you don't have prey running around your house for them to hunt, now do ya :rolleyes:

Personally, I would never consider getting a pet if I knew it had to be left alone a lot, with no one to take care of it.

Perhaps consider getting a tarantula. They don't need much feeding. And it's "exotic".

Hellrazer

Get a Tarantula!!!!!!!!
For the following reasons this would suit you down to the ground.

1.Depending on the species they can live for up to 6 months without feeding.
2.They need little or no care except that temp/humidity has to be correct.
3.You could actually leave a Tarantula and go on a 2 week holiday and it would still be 100% when you got back.
4.They are an unusual pet.
5.They do actually learn to recognise their owner.
6.They are quite cheap to own/keep except for their set up costs which are a once off.

Heres a run down on prices.

Tank(Old aquarium is perfect) between €0 and say €40.Bear in mind that tank needn`t be 100% watertight.Some people will use those see through containers found in DIY shops which can cost as little as € 5.00.Actually my next one is going into one of them standing on end.As it needs more height as opposed to floor space.Hope fully I can actually locate one of these:

http://www.bighairyspiders.com/metallica.shtml



Substrate(Bedding)-Vermiculite €4.50
Heat lamp(Basically a red 25w bulb and fitting whic is made into the lid of the tank)---€5.00
Food---Live crickets €4.50 for a month or two supply depending on species/size of Tarantula.
And Lastly Spider---If you buy on line You can get one for about €15.00 (Ihavent bought one on line yet)But if you buy in Town €50.00.

So not too bad or expensive.

Now problem solved.Any more questions feel free to ask.
Richie

aliesneo

No i never wud get a spider, I have touched only the smallest of spiders in my life. have never touched any big ones you would find around the home.

Hellrazer

Originally posted by aliesneo
No i never wud get a spider, I have touched only the smallest of spiders in my life. have never touched any big ones you would find around the home.

Little spiders actually frighten me aswell because of their speed.These large tarantulas move very slowly and as Ive stated before they make an easy to keep,interesting pet.And no-one ever said anything about touching your Tarantula.I would never advise anyone to hold their Tarantula(Although I have once).Its more for fear of hurting the Tarantula than getting bit or whatever.
Richie

aliesneo

Originally posted by Hellrazer
Little spiders actually frighten me aswell because of their speed.These large tarantulas move very slowly and as Ive stated before they make an easy to keep,interesting pet.Richie

Thats exactly my point. The speed. I think tarantulas are cool. You said you never life it because you dont want to hurt it and incase you get bit. Can they be easily hurt? And is the bite soar?
Obviously the tarantulas you get in a pet shop are not poisonous yes?
I know thats a stupid question but just want to make sure

Hellrazer

Originally posted by aliesneo
Thats exactly my point. The speed. I think tarantulas are cool. You said you never life it because you dont want to hurt it and incase you get bit. Can they be easily hurt? And is the bite soar?
Obviously the tarantulas you get in a pet shop are not poisonous yes?
I know thats a stupid question but just want to make sure

Ok there are two types of Tarantulas---Ground dwellers(Terrestrial) and tree dwellers(aboreal)
Ground dwellers make burrows and tree dwellers make web nests in trees.Ground dwellers can be killed by a fall from as little a 30cm wheras tree dwellers cant.And since most of the ones you buy here are burrowers its not advised to lift them up.

The bite is supposedly like a bee sting and some species can
cause the area to swell up for a few days.And it wont kill you unless you allergic to the venom.Which is very rare.The main defence is what are called itching hairs.These are barbed hairs which the Tarantula presses into its attacker.They can cause temporary blindness if they got in your eyes.


Ive answered all these questions here:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72647&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

And there are pictures of the common ones here :

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69656

The first one the Avic Avic is an arboreal species and the rest are burrowers.My one is the third one down The Brazil Black which will eventually have a leg span of around 8-9 inches and a body length of 3-4.


There are pictures and descriptions of Tarantulas on these sites.

http://www.petbugs.com/caresheets/tarantulas.html


http://www.bighairyspiders.com/

Dont be alarmed by the second pages warning.This species is an Indian species which some stupid keepers are keeping in their dozens.

FAYESY

I keep a variety of pet including some exotic species, I would NEVER leave any animal unattended for more than a day, any animal thats needs a special heat should be checked daily, bulbs can blow, a fuse can trip, the electric gets cut off due to bad weather etc etc. this could kill the animal!! I even keep a back up generator at home just in case, I would hate to lose my Iguana, Monitor Lizard, Royal Python or my Bearded Dragons, I also keep Rodnets which can be left for a day or two! as long as they are cleaned out before you leave them & you give them an extra large water bottle & extra food they would be fine! I would never leave a cat or a dog or my exotic furry critters such as my Sugar Gliders. Most small animals live in pairs except for Syrian Hamsters, If I was limited to one cage of animals then I would pick a pair of rats, they are very tame need very little floor space are easy to feed etc, they will happily sit on your shoulder all night whilst you read a book of watch the telly etc, give cute little rat kisses to let you know they love you & are a nice size, not too big & not too small.

The golden rule before you buy any animal is Research, Research & more Research!! Use the net to look up the care info on any animals you like the look of & make an informed choice! is this animal right for you & more importantly are you right for this animal????? Think before you buy as there are far too many people buying animals with out knowing the correct care etc etc! Which is why I have a lovely new Iguana, the people I bought it from did not know how to feed it, or how to handle it, or even that in a few years he will be 5-7foot long!! My advice is to make a list of the animals you like & then use the net to look up their care info, then choose!

If you want any help on a particular species send me a mail & I will do my best to help.

Regards

Faye;)

Hellrazer

Originally posted by FAYESY
I keep a variety of pet including some exotic species, I would NEVER leave any animal unattended for more than a day, any animal thats needs a special heat should be checked daily, bulbs can blow, a fuse can trip, the electric gets cut off due to bad weather etc etc.

I agree whole heartedly with your above statement
.But the reason I suggested Tarantulas is because it is 100% true that they can go for months without feeding etc.An adult Tarantula is capable of fasting completely for up to 12 months.
As for the heating issue a Tarantula will burrow in its tank to keep itself warm and can stay there up to and including the time it is fasting.
With regards to water-If a tarantula enclosure is set up correctly then the water will recycle itself.Basically if you have humidity of 80% when the hot air gets in contact with the cool glass then it condenses back into moisture which the Spider will drink.Most tarantulas drink from the droplets of water on the glass of its enclosure.
If the humidity is at 80% and ventilation if correct then a tarantula enclosure can sustain it self for weeks if not months.
In the wild its not uncommon for south american tarantulas to have to endure temperatures close to or below freezing at some stage of the year.The common chile rose has to regularly put up with snow in the Chilean winters.So a sudden loss of power/heat will not disrupt/harm the Tarantula.Some keepers will actually simulate a cold winter in order for their Tarantulas to live longer or delay a moult.Especially if its trying to breed a batch of spiderlings and a moult would interfere with the optimum time of breeding.

Richie.

eth0_

The subject line of this thread makes me think you don't deserve a pet, "I want a cool pet", pets aren't a status symbol, and quite frankly if you're going to leave it alone every weekend you aren't really going to be responsible enough to look after it.

Just my 2c!

aliesneo

Originally posted by eth0_
The subject line of this thread makes me think you don't deserve a pet, "I want a cool pet", pets aren't a status symbol, and quite frankly if you're going to leave it alone every weekend you aren't really going to be responsible enough to look after it.

Just my 2c!

yeah ur right etho. I just want it to abuse.

koneko

Aliesno,

In all seriousness though, if you aren't going to be around to take care of the pet, you might want to reconsider it.

Think of pets as babies. They're domesticated. Most of them need care and attention. You wouldn't leave a baby unattended, nor should you do so with a pet.

But as Fayesy said, if you're considering getting a pet, do lots of research. Be prepared. Taking care of a pet can be a *lot* more work than it looks like at first

Illkillya

koneko, its a weak attempt at trolling.. forget about it

koneko

Very weak indeed. Locked.